The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 4 eBook

ascending to heaven. Those men who abstain from
honey and meat, who abstain from sexual congress with
the spouses of other people, and who abstain from
wines and spirituous liquors, succeed in ascending
to heaven. Those men that help in the establishment
of retreats for ascetics, who become founders of families,
O Bharata, who open up new countries for purposes
of habitation, and lay out towns and cities succeed
in ascending to heaven. Those men who give away
cloths and ornaments, as also food and drink, and
who help in marrying others, succeed in ascending
to heaven.[230] Those men that have abstained from
all kinds of injury or harm to all creatures, who are
capable of enduring everything, and who have made
themselves the refuge of all creatures, succeed in
ascending to heaven. Those men who wait with humility
upon their fathers and mothers, who have subjugated
their senses, and who are affectionate towards their
brothers, succeed in ascending to heaven. Those
men that subjugate their senses notwithstanding the
fact of their being rich in worldly goods and strong
in might and in the enjoyment of youth, succeed in
ascending to heaven. Those men that are kind towards
even those that offend against them, that are mild
of disposition, that have an affection for all who
are of mild behaviour, and that contribute to the
happiness of others by rendering them every kind of
service in humility, succeed in ascending to heaven.
Those men that protect thousands of people, that make
gifts unto thousands of people, and that rescue thousands
of people from distress, succeed in ascending to heaven.
Those men who make gifts of gold and of kine, O chief
of Bharata’s race, as also those of conveyances
and animals, succeed in ascending to heaven.
Those men who make gifts of such articles as are needed
in marriages, as also those of serving men and maids,
and cloths and robes, succeed in ascending to heaven[231].
Those men who make public pleasure-houses and gardens
and wells, resting houses and buildings for public
meetings and tanks for enabling cattle and men to
quench their thirst, and fields for cultivation, O
Bharata, succeed in ascending to heaven.[232] Those
men who make gifts of houses and fields and populated
villages unto persons that solicit them, succeed in
ascending to heaven. Those men who having themselves
manufactured juicy drinks of sweet taste and seeds
and paddy or rice, make gifts of them unto others
succeed in ascending to heaven. Those men who
being born in families high or low beget hundreds of
children and live long lives practising compassion
and keeping wrath under complete subjection, succeed
in ascending to heaven. I have thus expounded
to thee, O Bharata, what the rites are in honour of
the deities and the Pitris which are performed by
people for the sake of the other world, what the ordinances
are in respect of making gifts, and what the views
are of the Rishis of former times in respect of both
the articles of gift and the manner of giving them.’”